Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he blocked Real Madrid’s attempts to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, but told the Los Blancos star he could eventually move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
In his newly released autobiography, Ferguson, who retired after 26 years in the top job at Old Trafford, revealed Ramon Calderon annoyed him in his attempts to sign the Portugal star so much that he waited until Florentino Perez had taken over at the club again to agree a deal.
Ferguson said in Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography that he travelled to Carlos Quieroz’s house in Portugal in the summer of 2008 to meet with Ronaldo, who expressed his desire to switch to the Spanish capital. But having been angered by Calderon, Ferguson told the now 28-year-old that he would not be sold.
However, the pair came to a gentleman’s agreement that if Madrid were to come up with a world record offer in the future, the deal would happen.
“I said, ‘I know you want to go to Real Madrid. But I’d rather shoot you than sell you to that guy now. If you perform, don’t mess us about, and someone comes and offers a world record fee, then we will let you go,’” Ferguson wrote.
“I did well to calm him down. I told him that the reason I was refusing to sell him that year was because of Calderon.
“I said, ‘If I do that, all my honour’s gone, everything’s gone for me, and I don’t care if you have to sit in the stands. I know it won’t come to that, but I just have to tell you I will not let you leave this year’.”
Since arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu for 96 million euros in 2009, Ronaldo has scored 214 goals in just 210 games.
